TWO MUSES THEATRE ANNOUNCES ITS THIRD SEASON

Two Muses Theatre, a nonprofit, professional theatre based in West Bloomfield, Michigan, will produce six shows beginning in September with something for everyone: a musical comedy, two holiday shows (one geared for family, one a bit more unconventional), a theatre for the young series, a contemporary comedy and a serio-comedy. Three of the shows have exclusively female casts in fitting with Two Muses Theatre's mission to provide opportunities for female professionals in theater.

The season opens with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Music and Lyrics by William Finn, Book by Rachel Sheinkin), a hilarious musical comedy about six young people in the throes of puberty participating in a spelling bee, overseen by adults who barely managed to escape childhood themselves. In the first weekend of October, Two Muses will add a special Breast Cancer Awareness theme to their production. Director, Barbie Weisserman said, "I fell in love with the characters of this show, and I know our theater patrons will enjoy the audience participation aspect." Performances September 27 - October 20.

In December, Two Muses Theatre will take on the daunting task of presenting two holiday shows in repertory. Matinees are for families: 'Twas The Night Before Christmas written by popular Broadway playwright, Ken Ludwig, in which the famous poem is a springboard to tell the story of a mouse, an elf and a little girl who get together and save Christmas. Special pricing for families will be available. Evening performances will be geared for an older crowd with Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) by Michael Carleton, Jim FitzGerald and John K. Alvarez - a madcap romp covering the usual holiday stories (such as Frosty, Rudolf, Charlie Brown, It's a Wonderful Life, etc.) in unusual ways. Performances December 6 - December 22.

In February, Two Muses will present their Fairy Tale Theatre series. Every weekend, an all-female cast will present a different story employing familiar fairy tale characters. The original stories, written by local playwright and director, Emilio Rodriguez, include: Fairy Tale Family Vacation (featuring a host of familiar fairy tale characters), Brat Race (Cinderella's step sisters take some lessons in etiquette in hopes of finding their own princes) and Awake (a musical retelling of Sleeping Beauty). Families will want to see all three! Performances February 8 - 23.

The fifth production of the season will be a contemporary comedy written by local playwright, Sean Paraventi. The Current centers around a bachelorette party that takes an interesting turn when the bride-to -be and bridesmaids visit a psychic on the way to the bar and realize that, although they have been friends since high school, there is still more to learn more about each other and themselves. Director Diane Hill said "I chose the play because of its witty and realistic dialogue and its relatable subject matter. Of course, the fact that it's an all-female cast didn't hurt either." Performances March 21 - April 13.
Two Muses Theatre will end its third season with a production of the beautiful script written by famous movie writer, Nora Ephron and her sister Delia. Every weekend, Two Muses will feature a different cast of women including local celebrities in this lighthearted look into five women's lives. Love, Loss and What I Wore is a series of monologues and scenes in which the women use their wardrobes as a time capsule of events, with odes to black clothing, cowboy boots and outfits that make mothers cringe. Performances May 30 - June 15.

Performances this season will be on Friday and Saturday evenings, as well as Sunday afternoons, with varying times for the December and February family shows. Detailed performance schedules are available on the Two Muses Theatre website.

Two Muses Theatre performs in the 150-seat theater inside the Barnes & Noble Booksellers, located at 6800 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield (south of Maple).

Individual tickets range from $10 to $25 with discounts for groups, seniors and students.

There is ample free parking and handicap accessibility.

For tickets and information, please call 248-850-9919 or visit www.twomusestheatre.org.

Founded in November 2011 by Diane Hill and Barbie Amann Weisserman, Two Muses Theatre is a nonprofit, professional theatre dedicated to increasing opportunities for female artists and artisans. All funds raised from performances and educational workshops go directly into maintaining the theatre and contributing to charitable organizations centered on women and children. For more information, visit www.twomusestheatre.org.

Dates and Times of Shows

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Performances September 27 - October 20.

Fridays and Saturdays: September 27, 28 and October 4, 5, 11, *, 18, 19 at 8pm

*Thursday, October 10 8pm

*(Saturday, October 12 no performance)

Sundays: September 29 and October 6, 13, 20 at 2pm

*denotes change in regular schedule

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Performances December 7 - December 22.

Saturdays and Sundays: December 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22 at 2pm

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) Performances December 6 - December 22.

Fridays and Saturdays: December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 at 8pm

Sundays: December 8, 15, 22 at 6pm

Fairy Tale Theatre series Performances February 8 - 23.

Fairy Tale Family Vacation: Saturday and Sunday, February 8 and 9 at 2pm and 4pm

Brat Race: Saturday and Sunday, February 15 and 16 at 2pm and 4pm

Awake: Saturday and Sunday, February 22 and 23 at 2pm and 4pm

The Current Performances March 21 - April 13.

Fridays and Saturdays : March 21, 22, 28, 29 and April 4, 5, 11, 12 at 8pm

Sundays: March 23, 30, April 6, 13 at 2pm

Love, Loss and What I Wore Performances May 30 - June 15.

Fridays and Saturdays : May 30, 31 and June 6, 7, 13, 14 at 8pm

Sundays: June 1, 8, 15 at 2pm